A binding machine is considered essential for schools and offices, along with many other establishments. It’s the perfect way of joining documents together. This allows you to create informative booklets which can be used for training or filing information.
The best part is there are several different types of comb binders on the market. That means everyone is catered for. But, you’re going to need to decide which is better for you, an electric or manual comb binder.
Check The Manufacturer
The first thing to look at is not the machines but the manufacturer. A specialist in binding equipment won’t just have an extensive range of machines for you to choose from. They will also have an excellent reputation.
You can verify this with other establishments and by looking on social media. This will help you to feel confident that the machine you’ve chosen is the best option for you.
Know The Differences
To choose between an electric or manual comb binder you need to know how they differ.
Both machines punch holes in the paper and then feed a comb through the punched holes.? This is then closed, sealing the papers together and making your booklet. It’s common to add a cover page on the front and back.
The biggest difference between the machines is that the electric binder does the holes for you, the manual one has a lever that needs to be brought down to create the holes in the paper.
It’s said that this gives you a better deal of control over hole positioning. However, the electric binder is definitely faster. You should also note that the electric binder rarely makes a mistake, the same cannot be said for a manual binder.
In addition, an electric binder can use a vertical feed. All the paper is pushed in from the top. The machine sucks it down. This effectively ensures all the papers are aligned and the holes are in the same place on each piece. This can make the finished document look much smarter. It’s more difficult to do this with a horizontal feed, such as manual binders tend to use.
Consider The Paper Size
Comb binders come in a variety of sizes. You need to think about what size of paper you intend to bind. Cheaper binders tend to allow one size of binding only. The more expensive machines allow you to bind in a variety of sizes, you simply need to select the correct size before you start binding.
Check Your Distance
You may not realize it but every binder has a set distance from the edge of the paper to the punched holes, these are not the same across all binders. If the gap is too wide the pages won’t turn easily. Too narrow and the booklet is likely to lose pages. It’s a careful balancing act but you need to consider this to ensure you get a binder that forms booklets perfectly for you.
